The Illinois football team takes on a Ball State offense that has some decent experience returning in 2017.
Here is a look at the projected Ball State offensive depth chart.
Despite having surgery and missing spring practice, Riley Neal will be the starting quarterback for Ball State. He threw for 2,541 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. He was also second on the team in rushing yards with 540 and 8 touchdowns. Neal is duel-threat and Illinois needs to keep an eye on his playmaking abilities.
The superstar for this Ball State team is James Gilbert. He rushed for 1,332 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2016. Illinois’ rush defense is suspect and this could be an area the Cardinals attack. The Illini need to be ready for this ground game.
The leading wide receiver returning from last season is Corey Lacanaria. He had 33 receptions for 341 yards and two touchdowns. He only started one game in 2016 but look for him to give the Illini fits.
In five starts last season, Jordan Hogue managed 170 yards and a touchdown on 20 receptions. He will continue being a threat this season and is one of Ball State’s best wide receivers.
Riley Miller hasn’t played much since joining the Ball State football program. He played in three games last season but didn’t have a single catch.
Danny Pinter returns as the tight end for this Cardinals football team. He managed to start in five games in 2016 but only accumulated three receptions for 10 yards. I don’t think Illinois has to worry too much about the tight end coming off the line.
With six starts last season, Kadin Booker returns as one of the most experienced offensive linemen. He will be a huge asset to this team on Saturday.
Vinnie Palazeti is back in his regular role as a guard. He played center last season due to Poenitsch’s injury. As a redshirt senior, Palazeti has great experience and will be a tough player to rush.
Last season, Andrew Poenitsch missed all but one game due to injury. He now returns as the likely starting center for Ball State. He has only played one game in college so, hopefully, Illinois takes advantage of the inexperience.
Alex Joss is a returning starting guard for the Ball State Cardinals. As a redshirt sophomore, he made 11 starts at guard and one start at tackle.
Next: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
The inexperience for Ball State continues as offensive tackle Kaleb Slaven will be starting on Saturday. He took a redshirt last year as a freshman.